“To all who come to this happy place, welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here, age relives fond memories of the past and here, youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts which have created America…with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to the world.” — Walt Disney, July 17, 1955

What a difference 59 years makes.

It was 101 degrees for Disneyland’s opening preview on July 17, 1955. But Thursday, when the park celebrated its 59th birthday, blue skies, scattered puffy white clouds and temperatures in the lower 80s set the stage for a perfect day to celebrate Disneyland’s 59th anniversary.

The Mayor of Main Street, one of Disney’s cast of characters, welcomed a few hundred invited guests and a sea of onlookers squeezed around Main Street’s Town Square. The train station was festooned with old-fashioned patriotic bunting and flags.

The recorded greeting by Walt Disney on that very first day at the theme park was played over the speakers. The Dapper Dans performed four-part harmony songs toasting each of the Magic Kingdom’s lands. The audience was encouraged to join in on popular tunes, like “The Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Room” and “It’s a Small World.”

“I was driving here this morning very excited because to take part in something so historic, Disneyland celebrating it’s 59th year, it’s such a special place to so many people,” said Megan Navarette, who has worked at Disneyland for more than four years and has served as an ambassador for one. Her favorite attraction in the park is Big Thunder Mountain because “it’s lots of fun, smooth and the new ending is very explosive.”

Pasadena resident Sam Gennaway, the author of “The Disneyland Story: The Unofficial Guide to the Evolution of Walt Disney’s Dream” (Unofficial Guides, $16), said that the opening of Disneyland in 1955 is notable in America’s history and society.

“The park mirrored many of the changes happening at the time,” Gennaway said in an earlier interview. “The park is akin to a television set where you could turn the dial and watch all of the popular genres of the day: a Western, a science-fiction film, a politically incorrect exotic location or a cartoon. The commercials are when you buy food or souvenirs or use the bathroom. It was Walt Disney…. celebrating that in America, somebody like him could live the dream due to free enterprise.”

During Disney’s lifetime, through 1966, the park remained a reflection of his thoughts, ideas and opinions, Gennaway said. Today the focus has changed, although the legacy continues in most of the cast members’ hearts.

“My favorite (attraction) is still Pirates of the Caribbean. As Walt said, it’s like a good party and you can easily drop in on many different discussions. Plus you don’t have to wear 3D glasses,” Gennaway said.

The denouement of Disneyland’s celebration was the appearance of 59 characters — from Pinocchio and Cinderella to Mickey Mouse and Cruella de Ville — who invited the crowd to join them in singing happy birthday to the park. Confetti flowed, fireworks burst and the new Diamond Celebration logo for 2015 was revealed. Then the emcee announced that the 60th birthday party will begin in the spring 2015 with many surprises, including a photo contest. For entry information, visit www.disneyparksblog.com.

Michelle Mills has been an entertainment and features reporter for the Southern California News Group since 1999. She has interviewed such notables as "Weird Al" Yankovic, Glen Campbell, Alice Cooper, Debbie Allen, Ernest Borgnine (during an earthquake) and Adam Young (Owl City). She was the 31st Occasional Pasadena Doo Dah Parade Queen reigning 2007-2009. She is a professional belly dancer (swordwork is her specialty) and also studies Polynesian and Tahitian dance.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.